Unedited Life: Okay, so when he's coming and he's riding into the people are doing what? They're waving their palm branches and what are they saying? Shout it. Thank you Titus. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna, son ⁓ of David. Yes. They're worshiping him. They're recognizing this is him. He is the one we've been waiting for. And they take off their outer garments and they lay them on the ground so that he can walk across them. Yes? So this is what's happening on Sunday. And then we took it clear through the temple incident, we will call it, when Jesus ransacks the temple. And then we landed in... the Last Supper where Jesus was washing the disciples' feet. And what did Peter do? No, Lord. wash my feet. ⁓ Yes, Jesus says to him, you do not let me do this Peter, you can have no part of me. And so Peter's in Peter fashion is, ⁓ then all of me. And Jesus is like, Peter, get a grip. Just kidding, he didn't say that. Peter, I need to wash your feet, right? and then they break bread. have their meal. And where we're going to pick up on this is in John 17. So if you brought your Bible, go ahead and turn to John 17. We're gonna kinda be in several spots, and you don't know how bad I wanna get this right. I was telling John on the way here. It's been a long time since a teaching has felt this weighty for me. There's just something about cross ⁓ has more weight to it, and I don't want to mess it up. Let's pray. Father God, ⁓ just come to glorify you. We've come to lean in and to delight in you, to know you. to know the truth of what you've done on our behalf. And I'm just asking, Holy Spirit, that you give us more revelation on our union with you through the cross. Amen. right, John 17, we're ⁓ start in verse 20. So after they got done eating, Jesus and the disciples go to the garden of Gethsemane. And Jesus tells them, stay up, watch with me. I'm going to go and be with my father. in verse 20. I'm not praying simply for them. I'm too for the people who will come to believe in me because of their word. I'm praying that they may all be one. Praying that they all may be what? Praying that they all may be one. Good morning, welcome. Just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they too may be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me. I really don't want to rush past this. That they may be. One, just as, Father, you and I have it, that I'm in you and you're in me. What is he saying? They're inseparable, right? They're inseparable. Good luck trying to separate the father from the son. But here's the mystery. Good luck trying to separate you from the father and the son. Not by your doing. but by His because of what Christ has done. We'll get there. 22, I have given them the glory which you have given to me so that they may be one just as we are one. Think he's trying to make a point? in them and you in me. Yes, they must be completely one so that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me. Huh. ⁓ Do you, does this feel like a bartering system to you? Does this feel like Jesus is proclaiming something in prayer? Does this feel like we have a front row seat to what it is that he is including us in on? Is there any part that we play in this? Did we earn any of this? No. Okay, just checking. Father, I want the ones you've given me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, the glory which you've given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, even the world didn't know you, but I have known you and these ones have known that you sent me. I made your name known to them, yes, and I will make it known so that the love with which you loved me be in them. and I in them. Did anybody count how many times he used union language? How do we miss this? you appalled? I'm appalled. How do we miss this? How do we come away with Jesus' prayer in the garden and think, what must I do to be saved? Believe that you are one with the Father and the Son. is not by your works that you are saved. It's by his provision, by his desire. We're gonna move on, we're moving into chapter eight. With these words, Jesus went out with the disciples across the Kidron Valley to a place where there was a garden. He and his disciples went in. Judas, his betrayer, knew the place because Jesus often used it as a meeting place with his disciples. so Judas took a band of soldiers with some servants of the chief priests. and the Pharisees and came there with torches, lights, and weapons. Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. He went out to meet them. Who are you looking for, he asked. like, I'll play. Jesus of Nazareth, they answered. I am he, he said to them. Judas, his betrayer, was standing there with them. So when he said, I'm the one, They went back a few paces and fell down on the ground. What? What? Who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. am he. Bam. What just happened? Can I just propose a possibility? I don't have the answer. I just want to propose something. He just gets done praying with the Father. And what's he asking for? What are these people trying to do? Kill him. They're trying to live outside of the context of the union he just established. You can't stand under the weight of union if you're not going to agree with it. You gotta fall! Gosh, this moment. Are there moments in the Bible where you're like, so wish I have seen this. ⁓ But there's this other part of me that's like, ⁓ would have been the one standing there going crucify him? Because that terrifies me. But there are just moments like this where I'm like, what did it actually look like for all of these soldiers to just hit the ground? They just fall over. Who's in control in this moment? Who's arresting who? Who has all dominion, all power, all authority? So they're on the ground. Jesus repeats this question. Who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth, they said, I told you I'm the one. So if you're looking for me, let these people go. He said this so as to fulfill the word he had spoken when he said, I haven't lost any of the people you gave me. Simon Peter had a sword. He drew it. and he hit the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Put your sword back in your sheath, Peter. Do you imagine I'm not going to drink the cup my father has given to me? Don't you have such a tender place for the disciples because they've been walking with them and they're still kind of clueless. But let's look at this in our context. We are 2,000 some years removed from this event, and we still don't get They walked with him for three years and were perplexed. is why Peter pulls a sword. Because these people fully believed that the Messiah was going to come and overthrow Rome. But this isn't looking like that. So Peter, like you and I would have been like, what do I do? I have to do something. I have to step up. And he's probably feeling like a righteous indignation. Like, I got this. Shump. Boop. But Jesus is like, Peter, put it away. What makes you think that I'm not gonna follow through with what I have started? What makes you think that you're not worth? Union, the price. There's a price tag for union. So what's Jesus do? Verse 12, so the band of soldiers with the officer in the Judean attendants arrest Jesus and tied him up. They led him off first to Annas. He was the father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had given advice to the Judeans that the best thing would be for one man to die for the people. Huh, that's interesting. Jesus does pick up Malchus' ear and reattaches it. a scene. here, let me just grab this ⁓ ear. it's like, right? That's why healing is just even a thing for Jesus. It's not even a thing. If Jesus can reach down and be like, ⁓ here's your ear back. All of the things, all of the things, all of the weaknesses that we walk in, they are not a thing. They're not a thing for Jesus. Yes. fact, it's already finished. Your healing has already been paid for. It's been bought. That's good news. I'll lead you in this. This is good news. Ahem. Let's jump to 26. Matthew 26 and we're gonna start in verse 47. So we know Jesus is arrested and he went on his own accord, right? He's like, here, can you get up off the ground because we've got business to do, just arrest me already? I mean, seriously, that's kind of how that had to have played out because they're all down for the count. And so Jesus is like, come on here, I'll put the cuffs on myself. It's a bizarre scene. 26 verse 47. While Jesus was still speaking, there was Judas, one of the 12. He had come with a large crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the elders of the people. The one who was intending to betray him gave them a sign. The one I kissed, that's him, grab him. So he went up at once to Jesus and said, greetings teacher, and he kissed him. My friend said Jesus. What have you come to do? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him at that one of the men with Jesus reached out His hand drew his sword and hit the height. just reading this. It's another account put your sword back People who use the sword die by the sword Don't you realize that I could call on my father and have him send me more than 12 legions of angels Just like that, but how then can the Bible come true when it says this has to happen? At that time Jesus said to the crowds, have you really come out with swords and sticks to arrest me as if I were some kind of, I don't know this word, brigand? Anyway, I sat there, huh? Brigand? Criminal, let's go with criminal. sat there teaching in the temple every day and you didn't lay hands on me. But all has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled. Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran astray. Verse 57, the people who had seized Jesus took him off to Caiaphas the high priest. The scribes and elders had already gathered at his house. Peter, however, followed him at some distance. all the way to the high priest's residence. He went in and sat with the servants to see how things would work out. The high priest and the whole council tried to produce false evidence against Jesus to frame a capital charge and have him killed. But even though they brought in plenty of lying witnesses, they couldn't find the evidence they wanted. Finally, two people came forward and declared, this fellow said, I can destroy God's temple and build it again in three days. Then the high priest stood up. Aren't you going to answer? He said to him. What are these people accusing you of? But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him. I put you on oath before the living God. Tell us if you are the Messiah, God's son. You said the words. Jesus replied. But let me tell you this, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power or the Father and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his robes. He's blasphemed, he said. Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you've heard his blasphemy here and now. What's your verdict? He deserves to die, they answered. Then they spat in his face and hit him. Some of them slapped him and said, prophesy for us, Mr. Messiah. Who was it who hit you? This is so taunting. It's awful. Just absolutely awful. And the worst thing that he did was tell them, you're right. You said it. I'm the Messiah. He just agreed with what they had pronounced. And for some reason... It carries a death sentence. All right. In Isaiah 53,7. Isaiah says this about Jesus, he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb that is led to slaughter and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers. So he did not open his mouth. Can you imagine having this level of restraint within yourself? He doesn't say a thing. He just lets them mock him, hit him, spit on him. They tore out his beard. and he doesn't defend himself. I will defend myself all day long, how about you? We defend our actions all day long. nothing that comes close to this. ⁓ Jesus stayed quiet. doesn't say a thing. He just lets the mystery in. Jump over to Matthew 27. We're gonna start in verse 11. is Jesus in Barabbas. So Jesus stood in front of the governor. Are you the king of the Jews? the governor asked him. Isn't it funny they just ask him the same question over and over again. Are you the king of the Jews? If you say so, Jesus replied. I mean, probably this is an inappropriate time to ⁓ think that this was snarky Jesus, but I mean, come on. If you say so, you said it. Yeah. Yes. The chief priests and elders poured out their accusations against him, but he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, don't you hear all this evidence they're bringing against you? He gave him no answer, not even a word, which quite astonished the governor. Now the governor had a custom. At festival time, he used to release prisoner for the crowd, whoever they chose. Just then, ⁓ They had a famous prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. So when the people were all gathered there, Pilate said to them, who do you want me to release for you? Barabbas or Jesus, the so-called Messiah? He knew that they'd handed him over out of sheer envy. While he was presiding in the court, his wife sent a message to him, don't have anything to do with that man, she said. He is innocent. I've had a really bad time today in a dream all because of him. The high priest and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. So when the governor came back to them again and asked, which of the two do you want me to release for you? They said Barabbas. So what shall I do with Jesus, the so-called Messiah? Ask Pilate. Let him be crucified. Why? Ask Pilate. What has he done? But they shouted all the latter, crucify him. Pilate saw that it was no good. In fact, there was a riot brewing. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. I'm not guilty of this man's blood, he said. It is your problem. Let his blood be on us, answered all the people, and on our children. Then Pilate released Barabbas for them. He had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified. Let's talk about Barabbas and Jesus for a second because there's something way deeper playing out here than just reading the text. We've gotta look at it. What is actually being represented here? Who is Barabbas? Barabbas is a freedom fighter of sorts. He is in prison for murdering people because he has taken it upon himself to avenge God. That's why he's in prison. If you've seen the movie The Patriot, just think of Mel Gibson and the Boys. He's just a ragtag misfit who's taken it upon himself to right the wrongs. Barabbas represents a retributive justice. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. His name actually means son of the father. Jesus is standing there who is the son of the father. He also represents a justice, but it is not retributive, it's restorative. And it is the only justice, if I can be so bold. I understand that we have a justice system set up in America and other parts of the world have their own version of justice. Ours probably looks a little bit nicer than some others. It's still not. the justice that is the foundation of the throne of Jesus Christ. because retribution leaves us both ⁓ an eye. When we go after a retributive justice, we both end up blind in one eye. But what Jesus came to do, he said, you've heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but I say, turn the other cheek. This isn't easy. This is hard. But look, Jesus did it. I mean, we just read it. He did it. I'm sure that he probably even acted this out in a sense if we could see it live. They slap him in the face and he probably... The Sermon on the Mount against ⁓ that you and I understand and value. And herein lies our problem. And this is why we don't understand our union. Because retribution can't fit in the union, in the oneness that we have with the Christ. It doesn't work. I always, always, always talk about ⁓ kid's toy, you know, that has the shapes cut out of it. They're usually like round and they're... ⁓ red and blue, or they were when I was a kid anyway. And they have the little shape that you fit into thing. But they have to be the right shape or they won't go in. It's the same. Like you can't, if you have the wrong mindset, it can't fit into the mind of Christ. Because we have to be willing to not carry the sword. We have to be willing to not live by the sword. Do you know in the majority of the books of the prophets, they end with saying, turn your weapons into plowshares or gardening tools? What is Jesus getting at? throughout history, he's talking about this. We hints and clues all throughout the Bible that is telling us this time and time and time again. ⁓ It's about retribution. It's about restoration. It's about ⁓ union. this is why the cross is so scandalous. why we can't handle it. Because he's an innocent man dying on our behalf. He's dying a criminal's death and he's done nothing wrong. except tell people, ⁓ you're right, you got it, I'm him. except you people. I mean, there were those moments. where he's going toe to toe with Pharisees in John 8, because that's my favorite. He did nothing wrong. He didn't even defend himself. If that doesn't give us the picture of how we're supposed to be living our lives, I don't know what will. You and I, live by the sword. We might not carry physical swords around, but we're willing to cut each other down. But this is what Jesus says to me a couple of years ago. goes, you are living in a day and age where it does not sound like an annoying clanging gong. It sounds like ripped flesh because that's what you're willing to do to one another. It's sobering. It's sobering to have to look and understand what we've done. what we've done with our union, when you start to imagine ⁓ is this supposed to be like? What's the possibility? think it could look like us knowing the truth of who we are in Jesus and everybody healed. Not just one. It's not just a one-off for the year. Everybody goes ⁓ Everybody goes free. That's what we have available to us. So the same people are waving their palm branches on Sunday have lost them. And they lost their Hosanna. And they traded it for crucify him. It's the same people. And there's such a mob mentality in the scene because some of these people have truly been affected, their lives have been affected by what Jesus brought to the table. So this mob mentality is like, ⁓ well, I need to fit in. Crucify him! Go to Luke 23. It's not on there. starting in verse 27. A great crowd of the people followed Jesus, including women who were mourning and wailing for him. Jesus turned and spoke to them, daughters of Jerusalem. He said, don't cry for me, cry for yourselves instead, cry for your children. Listen, the time is coming when you will say a blessing on the barren, a blessing on wombs that never bore children and breasts that never nursed him. At that time, people will start to say to the mountains, fall on us and the hills cover us. Yes, if this is what they do with the green tree, what will happen the dry one? And right there, he's just, this is Jesus, he is prophetically claiming to the people, here is what the reality is going to be for you. So much of what we think is the future to come has already happened. It's already happened. It happened within a 40-year time span, and it happened in Jerusalem. The temple was completely destroyed and many people lost their lives. And that's what Jesus is saying. Look what they're willing to do to me. He's calling himself the green tree, the living tree. Look what they are doing to me. What do you think will happen to the dry one that has no substance to it whatsoever? of Jerusalem burned down. That's what he's getting at. Verse 32, two other criminals were taken away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Father said, Jesus, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. have to put ourselves there. He's carried this wooden beam a long distance. He can't even do it. He's so weak. You've got to remember, ⁓ Jesus has beaten and should have died there. The beating that he took, which by the way was for our healing, the beating that he took should have killed him. killed etherman. He is weak. There is blood everywhere. His back is ripped open. And he's carrying this beam, this wooden beam. And I don't know what the distance is. But I think it's quite a bit of a distance that he's carrying this. And he's stumbling through the streets. And people are mocking him, throwing things at him. And he ends up stumbling and falling. And then one of the soldiers is like, you carry it for him, because they knew. There was no way he was going to make it to the cross, to the place of the cross. And it was a hill, nonetheless. And then once he gets up there, they lay them down, the cross beam on the longer portion. And that's where they pull out. nails and start to hammer them through his feet and his hands. And he's already got a crown of thorns on his head. Last year, Christie and I were walking around out at the land and there are lots of locust trees out there. And some, there's this one in particular that is just gruesome thorns, clustered ⁓ about long on them. And I would imagine because they're trying to wound him that it was no different. And they made an entire circular crown ⁓ out these and jammed them into his head. ⁓ Have you ever had a bad headache? I whine if I have an eyelash in my eye. He has thorns in his head. now he's laying there and he's having his arms wide and nails pierced through his hands and his feet. ⁓ And that would have been horrifying. But then they lift him up like that. I me, I would have passed out because I am a fantastic wuss. I just, wouldn't have made it past that I wouldn't have. I would have passed out. I'd been done. It was over for Angie. Not Jesus. You know, we talk a lot about John Robin and Jen's dad, about how this man has a will to live like no other. I mean, he has had plenty of opportunities to die. And I truly do believe that he is in full control. He is in full control of when he is gonna allow this to happen. And Jesus was the same way. He had plenty of opportunities to die. Plenty! But he's like, no, I'm going all the way. So they lift him up, and if you can imagine the tension. And the whole idea is so that you can no longer breathe. And he'd have to push up best he could on his feet to try and catch a breath. That's the scene we're talking about. And his disciples have scattered. His friends, they're nowhere to be found except for John. John is there with his mother and the other Mary, whichever one that is. And they're staying there. How? How is his mother standing there? That song, Mary, did you know? But it's like, Mary, ⁓ my God, how did you do it? How did you stand there and watch? I mean, I've had sick kids, and I'm horrified by it. This is her son, and he's hanging there. He's got blood everywhere. And the crowd is still mocking him. And she holds the truth of who he is. She knows. She knows. And then you have the two thieves who are actually criminals on either side of him. and he has a conversation with one of of them had eyes to see. ⁓ One of them knew to delight in the man hanging in the middle. And Jesus is like, tell you, you will be with me. There's that union piece again. Today, you'll be with me. So the leaders are like, hey, we gotta clean this up. Passover's coming. I mean, how blind do you have to be? Truly, how blind do you have to be to be this stupid? The Passover lamb is hanging there. Hey, we gotta get this cleaned up, come on, quick, quick. We can't have this scene, because it's gotta be perfect when we go and, you know, continue on with our rituals. So start to hurry up to make sure that these three men die ⁓ they go to the two on the ends and they break their legs. ⁓ prophecy tells us that not a single bone in body would be broken. And so Jesus ⁓ had whispered, yelled, I don't know what he did. It is And hung head. and he breathed his last. So when they get to Jesus, they're like, this man's already gone. They're like, pierce his side instead. Joke's on them. They pierced his side and what comes out? Water and blood. And you can decide for yourself, but I believe that new creation life was brought forth they pierced his side ⁓ the same way that Eve is brought forth from the side of sleeping Adam. Sleeping Jesus has side pierced ⁓ and comes ⁓ us. you have a choice to make. ⁓ Are gonna live as if you don't know that you were born? ⁓ as a new creation on that day? Or are you going to live as a new creation and discover what that means? We have been taught, and I'm gonna tell you, you've been duped, that we're waiting for this sweet by and by to happen. You and I think that we're just occupying time till Jesus comes back. And that is the most asinine part of the wrong gospel. We are not here just occupying, biding time until we die. We have been commissioned to live as new creation life and that has a demand on it. Romans 8 tells us that all of creation is groaning and waiting for the sons and daughters of glory to take their place. If all of creation knows, why don't we? Why don't we? Because we prefer to be blind. There's no responsibility in it. But if I know that I'm new creation life and I've taken my rightful place among the groanings of all of creation, then I have to live like it. have to love like it. I to live ⁓ in restoration manner. to where if I see a problem, I take the responsibility to be the fix. And I think that so often we default to, we'll just pray about it. But here's the problem. He's given his glory to who? Us. What did Jesus do with his glory while he was walking on the earth? He's restoring everything he comes into contact with, whether that's healing, being raised from the dead. pulling coins from fish's mouths. You name it, he did it. It actually tells us that if all of the things that Jesus did were recorded, all of the books in the world could not hold it. Yes, next Sunday. ⁓ Sunday we're going look at the in-between. so read Luke, Romans and this one is really, really, really important that we grab hold of, that we understand what it was that Jesus was doing. Romans 5-8, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Other translations say, while we were at our darkest, or While we were at our absolute worst, died. He knew what he was doing. We have to be at our absolute worst if we're killing God. 2 Corinthians 5 19 says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. You may have sung the song, the pop culture worship song, the father turned his face away. This is pulled directly out of a song, but you have to read the rest of the song to understand what's actually happening there. That somehow the father was forsaking Jesus because he does say that. Father, father, why have you forsaken me? He's on the cross. Where did you go? But what is it that Jesus pulled into himself? The sin of the world. Father, Father, why have you forsaken me? This is sin's last stand. Jesus, God did not forsake Jesus. Says it right here in 2 Corinthians 519, that the Father was inside of Christ, the world to himself. ⁓ you dare ever, ever again think that the Father turned his face away. It is a lie. They came together and they chose to restore us to fullness together. escalations to 20 says I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ in me you and I we were there also this is part of the mystery We were there. Jesus was not alone. We were there. If you can just imagine, can we like kind of go a little sci-fi for a minute? That the father and the son ripped through all time, pulled us all into themselves so that we could collectively die together in Adam. So that we could collectively be raised to life in Christ. in the power of resurrection life. That's what's ours. So we weren't just watching him die, we were co-crucified. Co-crucified. He took our crooked nature and he made it straight. In Exodus 12 verses 8 through 11, you have the scene of the original Passover. Israel is in Egypt. They've been there for what, 500 years? Somebody fact check me. Huh? 400? 400 years. and they're enslaved. God raises up Moses, sends him, and he's like, go and set my people free. Moses kept going to Pharaoh saying, let my people go. Pharaoh kept saying, no. There were all kinds of things that happened during this time, that's not the point. I wanna get to the Passover part where ⁓ it was the final countdown. And ⁓ went and he said, listen, what's happen. If you do not let them go, ⁓ then all of the firstborn sons are going lose their life. And then Moses and Aaron went to ⁓ the, the Jews and instructed them on what to do. And this is what they say. This is Exodus 12, 8 through 11. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. So they were to take a firstborn lamb and they were to eat it. Every household. And if the lamb was going to be too much, then they needed to come together with another family. This is really important because they had to eat. the whole lamb, okay? Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning. You shall burn it with fire. Now you shall eat it in this manner with your loins skirted, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. And yet you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. Now they were instructed also to take the blood from the lamb and put it over their door post so that when the angel of death or the destroyer angel, depending on your translation, came to smite all of the first born boys, that they would be protected, that the Israelites would be protected, their households would be protected. ⁓ there's more to the story than just the blood on the post. They're instructed to eat the whole ⁓ You want to know what Passover is actually about? Eating the whole lamb. Do you know what got us into trouble in the first place? We ate our way into it, and now we're going to eat our way out of it. have to eat the whole ⁓ And this is why when Peter tells Jesus, no, you can't wash my feet, Jesus comes back at him and says, Peter, if you do not let me do this, You have no part of me. Now listen, this is what I'm gonna tell us. If you do not eat the whole lamb, you have no part of him. You cannot pick and choose. The gospel is not a cherry picking opportunity. You eat the whole lamb or you have no part of him. Why you would not, I don't know. It's a free gift. but we have to eat the whole lamb. I want to read, we'll end with 1 Corinthians 10. We're going to do communion together, but I want to read this. The cup of blessing which we bless is a sharing in the Messiah's blood, isn't it? The bread we break is a sharing in the Messiah's body, isn't it? There is one loaf. Well then, there may be several of us, but we are one body because we all share the one loaf. We participate in remembering what it is that Christ has done by partaking of communion. And we got to look at this a little bit differently. We have all been baked into the same loaf. are ⁓ If Jane is struggling, Angie is struggling. If Titus is having a phenomenal day, I'm having a phenomenal day. We need to understand the power of our oneness. Where you are weak, I can step in and be strong and vice versa. And we all have strengths and weaknesses for this reason, not to lament. But to understand, we have a union in place with one another and with the Godhead. We are all baked into the same loaf. I wanna read it again. The cup of blessing which we bless is a sharing in the Messiah's blood, isn't it? The bread we break is a sharing in the Messiah's body, isn't it? There is one loaf. Well then, there may be several of us, but we are one body because we all share the one loaf. And I'll end with this. When Jesus said that he has to become like a grain of wheat and be dropped into the earth and die, you need to understand that the same thing happened to you and I. We were all dropped into the earth in his death. and go ahead, see the harvest. Look at the harvest that that has produced. And instead of looking around at the people all around you and being like, ooh, they just really need to know Jesus. The in and the out, the us and the them. Instead of thinking about it like that, the full harvest. There may be those who know and those who don't, but guess whose job it is to make sure that they do. all baked into one loaf. Even those who don't know. They just don't know. They're not any more flawed than you, they just don't know. And most of us who profess the name of Jesus Christ, we don't know. We don't know. We don't know what's ours. We assume, but we don't know. So we have to partake of communion to understand our union with the Trinity, that we are all one. We've been taken into Him forever and ever, and you cannot separate it. Okay, we've got a video that we'll play, and then Mike and Kristi are going to bring around the bread and the wine. as far as communion goes, anybody can participate? ⁓ happy day. What? No, it's just a thimble. bless yours in the name of Jesus. There be. So before we get started with that, let me just pray. Father God, we thank you. ⁓ you for what you've done on our behalf. Just look what you've done. You've brought us all into the mix. Fold us all into yourself. Call this your own. Everything that you've done, you've done for us. To restore us, to reclaim us, to reconcile us. Give us better understanding of your justice, of your righteousness, and who we are in you as a new creation life. And as we partake of your body and of your blood, us ⁓ a deeper revelation of even that. What it means to be yours, holy and fully yours forever. We love you.